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Kabandha
In Hinduism, Kabandha (, , lit. "headless torso") is a Rakshasa (demon) who is killed and freed from a curse by the god Rama – an Avatar of Vishnu – and his brother Lakshmana. Kabandha's legend appears in the Hindu epics ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'', as well as in later Ramayana adaptations. Kabandha was a gandharva (celestial musician) named Vishvavasu or Danu, who was cursed and made into an ugly, carnivorous demon by a sage named Sthulshira. In an encounter with Rama and Lakshmana, the brothers sever his arms and proceed to cremate his corpse. Upon his death, Kabandha resumes his Gandharva form and directs Rama to the Rishyamukha mountain, where the exiled monkey-chief Sugriva is hiding. Kabandha advises Rama to form an alliance with Sugriva, who would be of assistance in the search for Rama's wife Sita, who had been kidnapped by Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka. Following Kabandha's advice, Rama befriends Sugriva and rescues Sita with his help. Literary sources The mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramopakhyana
''Rāmopākhyāna'' is a section of the Indian epic ''Mahabharata'', telling the story of Rama and Sita, a tale best known from the other great Sanskrit epic, the ''Ramayana''. Content The story comprises 704 verses spread across book 3 (the ''Vana Parva'', also known as the ''Aranyaka-parva'' or ''Aranya-parva''). In the standard numbering of the chapters of book 3, it comprises chapters 257–75. At the beginning of the ''Ramopakhyana'' section of the ''Mahabharata'', the character Yudhishthira has just suffered the abduction of his wife and been exiled to the forest. Asking whether there has ever been someone more unfortunate than himself, he is told the comparable story of Rama and Sita as a moralising tale, counseling him against despair. The account of Rama and Sita in the ''Rāmopākhyāna'' is noted for treating Rāma as a human rather than a divine hero; in not mentioning Sita's banishment following her return to Ayodhya; and in not mentioning how she disappears into t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramayana
The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism known as the ''Itihasas'', the other being the ''Mahabharata''. The epic narrates the life of Rama, the seventh ''avatar'' of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who is a prince of Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya in the kingdom of Kosala. The epic follows Exile of Lord Rama, his fourteen-year exile to the forest urged by his father King Dasharatha, on the request of Rama's stepmother Kaikeyi; his travels across the forests in the Indian subcontinent with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana; the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana, the king of Lanka, that resulted in bloodbath; and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya along with Sita to be crowned as a king amidst jubilation and celebration. Scholarly estimates for the earliest stage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahaviracharita
''Mahaviracharita'' ("Exploits of a Great Hero") is a play by the 8th-century Sanskrit playwright Bhavabhuti based on the early life of Rama, the hero of the ''Ramayana'' and venerated as a Hindu deity. It is the first play of Bhavabhuti,Mirashi p.111 thus lacking in character and style compared to his two known later works: '' Malatimadhava'' and '' Uttararamacharita''. Though currently composed of seven acts, the whole present text may not have been composed by Bhavabhuti. Structure and plot The play is composed of seven acts. Most modern scholars agree that Bhavabhuti has written the play from the beginning only to the 46th verse of Act V. According to one theory, the rest of the play is lost to time. Another theory suggests that Bhavabuti left the play incomplete after the 46th verse of Act V. However, two different extensions replace the lost material to make up seven acts. The North Indian version is composed by a poet Vinayaka and the South Indian version is attributed to Su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gandharva
A ''gandharva'' () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they are regarded to be the celestial demigods who serve as the musicians of the devas. It is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music. In Buddhism, this term also refers to a being in the intermediate state (between death and rebirth). In Hinduism In Hinduism, the gandharvas () are a class of minor deities who serve as divine musicians in Hindu mythology. The term gandharva is present in Vedic sources (including in the Rigveda) as a singular deity. According to Oberlies, "In mandala I, IX and X the gandharva is presented as a celestial being (dwelling near the Sun / in the heavenly waters) which watches over the Soma (apparently) for the benefit of the gods and the sacrificers." The gandharva also "receives the Soma from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kambar (poet)
Kambar, or Kavichakravarthy Kamban (1180 CE–1250 CE), was an Indian poet and the author of the Ramavataram, popularly known as ''Kambaramayanam'', the Tamil version of the epic Ramayana.The Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia By Edward Balfour Kambar also authored other literary works in Tamil, such as Tirukkai Valakkam, ''Erelupatu'', Silai Elupatu, ''Kangai Puranam'', ''Sadagopar Antati'' and ''Saraswati Antati''. Life Kambar was born in Therazhundur. He was supported by a close friend named Sadaiyepa Vallal. He grew up in the Chola Empire under the reign of Kulothunga III. Having heard of this talented bard, Kulothunga summoned him to his court and honoured him with the title ''Kavi Chakravarty'' (''The Emperor of Poets''). Kambar flourished in Therazhundur, a village in the culturally rich Mayiladuthurai district in the modern state of Tamil Nadu in South India. Kambar is generally dated after the Vaishnavite philosopher, Ramanuja, as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhūti (born Śrīkaṇṭha Nīlakaṇṭha; Devanagari: भवभूति; -) was a classical Sanskrit scholar, poet, and playwright of eighth-century India. He is considered a key successor to Kalidasa and is often regarded as matching his literary stature. His best known work '' Uttararamacarita'' (translated as ''The Later Deeds of Rama''), earned him the title "Poet of the Karunā Rasa". Background Bhavabhuti was born in Padmapura, Aamgaon, at Gondia district,in Maharashtra. He was born in a Audumbar/Udumbar Brahmin family of scholars. He is described as a scion of the Yāyāvara family, bearing the surname Udumbara. His Kāshyapa brahmin ancestors adhered to the Black Yajurveda and kept the five sacred fire. His real name was Srikantha Nilakantha, and he was the son of Nilakantha and Jatukarni. He received his education at 'Padmapawaya', a place some 42 km South-West of Gwalior. Dayananidhi Paramahansa is known to be his guru. He composed his historical plays a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anargharāghava
The ''Anargharāghava'' (Devanagari: ; English: Priceless (anargha) Rama (rāghava)) is a dramatised retelling of the Ramayana, and is a piece of classical Sanskrit poetry. It is the only surviving work by , a Brahmin court poet, who lived some time between the 8th and 10th century CE, perhaps in Orissa or in neighbouring South India. Because of its elegant style, learned allusions and often striking imagery, the poem has been a favourite among pandits , although it received little attention in the West until recently. The epic story of Rama’s exploits is presented as a series of political intrigues and battles, and contrasted with lyrical passages of various kinds: on love and war, pride and honor, gods and demons, rites and myths, regions and cities of ancient India. The play has little action — most fights and events take place behind the scenes or between acts — focussing instead on diction and other elements of dramatic representation, reminiscent of the Keralan Kuti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviving works consist of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems. Much about his life is unknown except what can be inferred from his poetry and plays. His works cannot be dated with precision, but they were most likely authored before the 5th century CE during the Gupta era. Kalidas is mentioned as one of the seven Brahma avatars in Dasam Granth, written by Guru Gobind Singh. Early life Scholars have speculated that Kālidāsa may have lived near the Himalayas, in the vicinity of Ujjain, and in Kalinga. This hypothesis is based on Kālidāsa's detailed description of the Himalayas in his '' Kumārasambhavam'', the display of his love for Ujjain in '' Meghadūta'', and his highly eulogistic descriptions of Kalingan emperor Hem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramavataram
The ''Ramavataram'', popularly referred to as ''Kamba Ramayanam'', is a Tamil epic that was written by the Tamil poet Kambar during the 12th century. Based on Valmiki's ''Ramayana'' (which is in Sanskrit), the story describes the legend of King Rama of Ayodhya. However, the ''Ramavataram'' is different from the Sanskrit version in many aspects – both in spiritual concepts and in the specifics of the storyline. This historic work is considered by both Tamil scholars and the general public as one of the greatest literary works in Tamil literature. Kambar wrote this epic with the patronage of Thiruvennai Nallur Sadayappa Vallal, a chieftain of the Pannai lineage. In gratitude to his patron, Kamban references his name once in every 1,000 verses. Early references in Tamil literature Even before Kambar wrote the Ramavataram in Tamil in the 12 century CE, there are many ancient references to the story of Ramayana, implying that the story was familiar in the Tamil lands e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adhyatma Ramayana
''Adhyatma Ramayana'' (Devanāgarī: अध्यात्म रामायण, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa'', ) is a 13th- to 15th-century Sanskrit text that allegorically interprets the story of Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' in the Advaita Vedanta framework. It is embedded in the latter portion of ''Brahmānda Purana,'' and the author is considered to be Vyasa. The Hindu tradition also attributes the text to the Bhakti movement saint Ramananda. The text consists of 7 books, 65 chapters or 4,500 verses in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati. Adhyatma Ramayana contains the ideal characteristics of Rama and the precepts related to devotion, knowledge, dispassion, adoration and good conduct. Rama is presented as the supreme Brahman in the text, while the struggles of Sita and him are re-interpreted in an abstract spiritual form. The allegory inspired several later versions of the Ramayana story in languages like Awadhi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
